Page 102 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“You always have,” he said, then kissed her.
She kissed him back, smiling then laughing against him. He pulled back, shaking his head at her.
“You shaved a few years off my life, but it’s alright,” he teased. “As long as you’re laughing.”
She shoved him, and he pressed a hand to his heart, doubling over.
“God, that was stressful,” he said. “I need to catch my breath.”
“Honestly, me too.”
They both stood in silence, taking in breaths of air. Aiden shivered, and she remembered he still wasn’t wearing a jacket. She took off the robe Mireya had given her and gave it to Aiden, since she was wearing a coat underneath, anyway. He slipped the robe on, and it was about six inches too short, but it covered his body well enough.
He opened his arms, and she stepped in, both of them inside the fabric. She put her arms around him, both of them keeping each other warm with their body heat.
“Better?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Much.” He pressed a tender kiss against her forehead, and she leaned into him.
A moment later, Sparky bounced over, wanting to join them. Saphira laughed, letting Sparky in between their legs, and he made them even warmer.
There was no denying that he was all grown up, that he was all trained.
“I suppose our agreement is coming to an end,” Saphira said, trying not to sound too sad as she scratched Sparky’s chin.
“Our agreement may be coming to an end, but there is no ending my love for you, Saphira,” Aiden said, releasing his grasp on her to reach into his pocket. She stepped back to see as he pulled something out, holding it up between them. “Nor is there any end to Sparky’s love for you.”
Saphira gasped. It was a golden Drakkon ID card that stated she held equal custody over Sparky. A lump rose in her throat, her eyes welling with tears.
“Thank you. This is …” There were no words.
“No need to thank me,” Aiden said. “We’re yours, the both of us. What is a piece of paper when you own our entire hearts?”
She smiled, kissing him, distracted until Torch made a noise, unhappy to be up in the cold for so long.
“You should probably go, anyway,” Saphira said with a laugh. “Or Mireya will suspect I cheated.”
“I’ll see you on Mount Echo,” he said, stealing one last kiss before heading to Torch. Sparky licked her cheek, then flew to Aiden’s side. They saddled up and were off.
Saphira blew out a long breath, waiting for the dragon that had dropped her off to come retrieve her. A little while later, itcame, and she flew back to Mount Echo with a novice, still not quite believing that she had done this. The gem was still in her hand, beautiful and sparkling.
Maybe it was silly to put herself in danger for this little stone, but she had wanted to do it. She was proud of herself for it, and she was happy that Aiden had supported her through it, even though she knew how stressed out he had been by it.
She made it back to Mount Echo, where Mireya and Aiden were both waiting. Dismounting, she went to Mireya, who met her halfway while Aiden stayed back.
Saphira opened her palm, showing Mireya the gem.
“Good.” For the first time, Mireya smiled. “I knew you could do it.”
“Really?” Saphira was surprised. “You seemed so displeased with me.”
“I still had faith you could do it. Aiden and you are bonded.”
“Yes, but we aren’t actually married … we were pretending.”
Mireya looked amused. “I am not stupid. Nonetheless, you have the spirit of a true rider. I had no doubt you would finish the ritual and, married or not, you and Aiden have a deep bond, and you and Sparky have a deep bond independent of that, and the three of you are interwoven—which is all to say that, yes, you belong.”
“What about the gem?” Saphira asked. “Do I keep it as a spoil?”
